On Themis [6.4 SPOILER]

[Brinne]

I think the intention was just for past-Lahabrea to be very observant and, bluntly, picked up via that observation, intuition, and our Vibes that we were fundamentally operating at cross-purposes, even if he didn't know the specifics or the details. In that framework, I appreciate that he more or less stood his ground and stated that he was unwavering in his own purpose.

The convolutions the writing went through to Not Talk About The Sundering were just hilariously transparent to me. I'm not inclined to point the finger at the Pandaemonium writer himself, since he's probably working under a higher directive as far as Don't Talk About It (oh man, was the presentation of Athena and her mindset interesting, though, in that regard), so when I talk about how I loved the "characterization," it's more learning what kind of personalities this group of people had and their interpersonal dynamics, not the ridiculousness of them being conveniently manifested and shoehorned around so we never have to discuss the incredibly legitimate and valid reasons they have to hate us and be bitter about their fates. I loved seeing Lahabrea's grumpy, blunt forms of gruff kindness, such as when he shot Claudien down when Claudien attempted to talk to him from an Erichtonios place, and Themis is beyond charming; I love the layers to his personality, so that he went beyond just "cute sad kid" and carries some serious swagger and weight to him as one of the leaders of the world, while maintaining a bit of childish mischievous and playfulness at the same time as being an obviously very compassionate, thoughtful, and loving person.

Erich's arc with his mother and his agency was also just great, and while the way the wider plot of EW as a whole was handled was beyond weaselly, I also admired the guts of carrying that bitter, ugly, raw edge to his self-contained emotional arc to the very end. I think the writing underscored enough that Athena was Athena, even with the space rock - the space rock fundamentally just empowered Athena into a world-ending boss threat we could punch. But the fundamental horror, as this was always the story, at its core, of a damaged family - that she just has absolutely no love in her heart and only ruthlessness for her ambitions was completely her, on her own - stood well enough that the space rock factor didn't bother me, and I went into this petrified that they would compromise or ruin Athena's glorious evil. She's still my wife.

(Also, I think it's a little funny that even the Absolute Worst and Most Evil Ancient wouldn't have become a serious threat on a wide scale if not for the intervention of an Alien Space Rock, but you know, the society and its people are just fundamentally rotten and had to be put down, everything was for the best, etc, etc. Endwalker!)

There are several points where it does come across that Themis (especially in the end scene) and Lahabrea are clearly making a Deliberate Choice to not delve into the ugliness in how they and the WoL will be/have been are cross purposes, for the sake of papering things over out of kindness to the WoL and to a degree for Themis, attempting to soothe himself after being tortured for milennia and losing everything. I'm a bit of a sucker for that kind of thing, but I also acknowledge, yes, it's also totally writer cowardice to spare the player, the writers themselves, and make the Warrior of Light universally beloved and praised by everyone, as is always the primary agenda.

In a vacuum for the characters themselves, it made me love Lahabrea and Elidibus more, because they are truly good, kind people, while hating that they ever even had to do something like that - and meanwhile didn't help much with my growing disgust at the Warrior of Light at happily accepting the offered kindness at the expense of their own feelings and agency and skipping away untroubled, leaving them to their horrible fates.